Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I have tried many of their recipes and they are all delicious. This one is no exception. Mike and I loved it. The kids were kind of lukewarm about it. Casey loved it, and the girls said it was too spicy, even though I used mild everything. They're wimps. Click on the title of this post to take you to the original MGCC post. Here is my own interpretation of it.

1/2 Cup chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can corn, drained
1 can (approx 15 oz.) black beans rinsed and drained (I didn't have this, so I left it out, but it would be good)
2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
2 cans water
1 can (approx 15 oz.) diced tomatoes with jalapenos or green chilies ( choose according to the spice level/heat you prefer) (I used Rotel Mild)
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 zucchini or Mexican gray squash, cubed (optional-- I just had some from Bountiful Baskets I needed to use up, and it was really good in the soup)

1 or 2 6inch corn tortillas cut into strips (or broken tortilla chips)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

I just dumped everything except the tortilla strips, cheese and cilantro into a pot and simmered for about an hour. At first it's kind of a gross throw-up pink color from the tomatoes, but the color gets better as it simmers. :) Right before serving, I stirred in the chopped cilantro, and let people add their own cheese and tortilla strips (chips) as desired. The original recipe was for the crock pot, and if I would have seen it earlier, I would have done it that way. Here are the instructions for that:

1. Stir the salsa, chicken, corn and beans in a 4 quart slow cooker/crock pot.
2. Stir the soup, tomatoes, water, cumin together in a separate bowl. Pour over the crock mixture.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
4. Stir in tortilla strips, cheese and cilantro. Cover and cook an additional 15 minutes